How much does a US Senate seat cost?
Posted
Dec 09 2008, 05:01 PM
by
Kim Peterson
Rating:
For sale: One U.S. Senate seat. Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich apparently thinks it's "a (expletive) valuable thing," according to federal officials.
If the complaint filed against the Democratic governor is true (link here), then Blagojevich is brazenly corrupt and delusional. He gets to pick the person to fill Barack Obama's now-empty Senate seat, and is charged with trying to sell that seat for hefty returns for himself and his wife.
He apparently got an offer of $500,000 for the seat. I expected the seat to cost more, but the economy is hitting everyone these days, I guess.
The delusional part? According to the complaint, Blagojevich thought he could start a non-profit group, and that Obama could get Berkshire Hathaway CEO Warren Buffett and Microsoft founder Bill Gates to contribute millions of dollars. He also dreamed of running for president -- despite a lousy 13% approval rating -- and contemplated putting himself in the open Senate seat to further those ambitions.
Blagojevich also wanted to get his wife appointed to corporate boards, which could net her $150,000 a year in director's fees, according to the complaint.
And he allegedly tried to turn the screws on the Tribune Co., saying he wouldn't approve state assistance in the Chicago Cubs sale unless it fired editorial writers who were critical of him.
Blagojevich and his chief of staff were arrested this morning. The shocking story -- plus a slow news day -- has set commenters on fire. Here's what others are saying:
Wall Street Journal: "If prosecutors are right, Blagojevich, accused of looking for either lucre or favors in return for Obama’s Senate seat, made an oft-seen mistake: he believed he had more leverage than he did."
TheDeal.com: "What impact if any will the Blagojevich allegations have on Tribune's bankruptcy filing? In the end, it's doubtful that Blagojevich's alleged role in the Cubs auction, which may have slowed the sale, was directly material to its bankruptcy filing. The team, for instance, is not part of the filing. Nonetheless, it offers some colorful insight into the auction."
Talking Points Memo: "I never fail to be amazed at the brazenness and stupidity of some political crooks. I mean, I think everyone involved in politics or interested in political corruption in the country had to know that Blagojevich's phones were tapped and probably his offices were bugged, and that Pat Fitzgerald had him under the craziest level of scrutiny. And he tries to sell the senate seat with that hanging over his head? That's simply amazing."
Chicago Tribune's Eric Zorn: "If these allegations are true, Blagojevich is not just sleazy and venal, he's also recklessly compulsive. But an allegedly recklessly compulsive sociopath cannot and does not act alone -- his abetters and enablers included his major donors and his advisers. They, too, should be called to account."
Politico: "So just what is the problem with Illinois? It certainly seems like Illinois has a particular sweet spot for corruption: Blagojevich’s own predecessor as governor, George Ryan, went to jail in 2007 in a 6-1/2 year sentence for corruption of his own. And two other Illinois governors have faced legal trouble in modern times..."
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